Box Score
As statement games go, this one carried resonance.

It was also a long time coming.

Nearly three years after the last time she was part of a winning effort against Mount Union, senior Missy Spahar would again help lead the Blue Streaks to victory over the Purple Raiders. Spahar dropped in 32 points – tying her career high - while Beth Switzler added 20 and younger sister Katlyn Spahar added 19 to pace the Blue Streaks to a convincing 82-64 triumph.

"Honestly, I'm just speechless," said Missy Spahar. "I couldn't be happier right now."

Both sides exchanged barbs in the first half, with neither team being able to establish early dominance over the other. Missy Spahar scored 14 of JCU's first 24 points, and the Blue Streaks held a narrow 24-22 lead midway through the first half.

After doing plenty of early scoring, Missy Spahar proved how versatile she is by dishing an assist to senior fellow Allie Lustig, who drained a 3-pointer to give JCU the 27-22 lead, their biggest yet.

Just minutes later, Katlyn Spahar drained a 3-pointer to push JCU's lead to double digits, 43-33, with the assist coming on a cross-court pass from her older sister. The Blue Streaks would push their lead to 12 before halftime, 50-38, as a reverse lay-up turned into a converted and-one opportunity for Switzler.

Leading by 12 at half, the Blue and Gold didn't take their foot off pedal in the second half.

JCU uses a 19-9 run out of the gate to push their lead to 22 points, 69-47, with just over 12 minutes remaining, and the Blue Streaks never looked back en route to their second largest margin of victory in the history of the series.

The win also snapped a seven-game skid against Mount Union.

"It's a must-have," said first year head coach Kelly Morrone on the importance of starting strong in conference play. "Mount Union remains as tough as they've ever been. They're scrappy, they never go away … We just tried to hang on best we could every possession."

With the senior leadership of Missy Spahar and Allie Lustig – who dished out six assists – the Blue Streaks seem to have an ideal balance of youth and veteran leadership.

"They're rock stars," said Morrone of her seniors. "You need leadership to be strong, and you need internal leadership to be strong, and they have it. They communicate well, they embrace the staff and this new opportunity and I think they're having some fun doing it."

With the victory, the Blue Streaks improve to 4-0 for the second consecutive season. But it was the first time since 2008 that John Carroll was able to win its conference opener.

"We're just going to work hard every game," said Missy Spahar. "We have a shot, and we want to finally prove that John Carroll has something to say … This is our year, and we have all the talent to do anything in the world."